As is well known in the field of pet care, animal collars chosen for attractiveness and ornamentation rapidly soil and deteriorate to lose their attractiveness while remaining functionally satisfactory; and those chosen for functional attributes are often lacking in aesthetic qualities.
In addition, the common use today of flea and tick repelling collars, generally called flea collars, poses problems both of aesthetic appearance, as well as the desirability that human skin be protected from the contact with the flea collars, as in the handling of animals.
There have, in the prior art, been proposed a number of animal collar covers. However, such prior art covering device have not satisfactorily overcome the above mentioned problems. The prior art of which applicant is aware is listed below: U.S. Pat. Nos. 649,026, 3,814,061, 2,734,483, 3,817,218, 2,798,458, Des. 130,001, 3,765,376, Des. 131,052, Des. 206,526, Des. 206,749.
While the collar cover of the present invention has been primarily developed and employed for use in connection with dogs, and particularly for the more attractive breeds of dogs, the use of the terminology "dog collar" and "dog collar cover" is employed herein as illustrative, and is intended to comprehend collars and collar covers for a wide variety of pets and animals.
As will appear from the prior art, the devices thereof were subject to various difficulties, some prior art devices failing to provide openings for escape of flea collar medicament to the animal; other of the prior art devices requiring the use of beads, buttons, and the like, which are dangerous to animals by ingestation and otherwise lacking in durability and safety.